Jazz G Keyonte George Saw Improved Team Ball Control vs. Trail Blazers

The Utah Jazz rookie spoke on the improved ball security on Tuesday night.
Jazz G Keyonte George Saw Improved Team Ball Control vs. Trail Blazers
Jazz G Keyonte George Saw Improved Team Ball Control vs. Trail Blazers /
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The Utah Jazz entered Tuesday night’s In-Season Tournament game against the Portland Trail Blazers with a clear struggle in the turnover category. They ranked dead last in the NBA for turnovers lost, putting up close to 18 a night.

And while they still are the league leader in turnovers, things went much more smoothly for Utah on Tuesday against Portland. They posted a season-low of 12 giveaways, ultimately leading to a 115-99 victory to give the Jazz two straight wins and four total on the season.

Jazz rookie Keyonte George spoke on the team’s ball control and lack of turning the ball over in this game, voicing that the improvement just came down to being increasingly organized and put together.

“Yeah, we had 12 turnovers, so we’ve been keeping them down, George said. "That’s been a main point of emphasis for us as a team, just taking making sure we’re organized, making sure we’re running our stuff right. I think today was one of our best days as far as, everybody on the same page, everybody knowing what we’re in, and just executing at a high level."

In 26 minutes, George posted an effective 15 points on 4/9 shooting, also generating four rebounds and seven assists on just two turnovers. With hopes for him to be the lead point guard of this team for the foreseeable future, things have looked extremely positive throughout his first three starts.

The Jazz will have the chance to lift this win streak to three straight on Friday at 7 PM MT when they take on the Phoenix Suns for the third game of their In-Season Tournament run. After falling to Kevin Durant’s squad earlier in the season in October, this match allows Utah to get even with a Western Conference favorite.


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Jared Koch
JARED KOCH

Jared Koch is the Associate Editor of The Frozen Rope — SI.com's team website covering the Utah Jazz. He's covered the NBA and NFL for the past two years, also being the Managing Editor of Inside The Kings — SI.com's team website covering the Sacramento Kings.